Cassata Siciliana II (Sicilian Cassata II)

Cassata Siciliana II (Sicilian Cassata II) is a traditional Italian recipe for a classic fruitcake with a sponge base, sides and top that's decorated with icing and candied fruit and which is typically served for Easter, Christmas and special occasions. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Filipino version of: Sicilian Cassata II (Cassata Siciliana II).

prep time

120 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

150 minutes

Additional Time:

(+chilling)

Serves:

10

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Cheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesIrish Recipes



The Sicilian Cassata is a rich dessert with sumptuous decorations, typical of Sicilian pastry making. It's based on the Pan di Spagna sponge cake, ricotta cream and chocolate pieces, green royal icing (or green marzipan) and candied fruit. A mix of aromas and flavours that originated in Palermo between the 9th and 11th centuries, during the period of Arab domination. In fact, Cassata is derived from the Arabic "Quas'at" means large basin and is derived from the name of the bowl in which the creamy cheese filling was mixed with the sugar. A unique delicacy famous throughout the world, like Sicilian cannoli, it is mainly prepared for Easter, Christmas and special occasions. Making authentic cassata at home is a laborious process, completed over 3 days. To make this properly you will need a 22cm cassata mould - which has flared edges that narrow towards the base.

Ingredients:

For the Pan di Spagna (Sponge Cake):
3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
160g of granulated sugar
70g of 00 (fine cake) flour
95g of potato starch
finely-grated zest of 1 lemon (and or grated zest of 1 orange)
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

For the Ricotta and Chocolate Cream:
800g of perfectly drained sheep's ricotta (or you can use my home-made ricotta cheese recipe to prepare your own)
300g of granulated sugar
150g of dark chocolate, chopped into chips
50g of high-quality candied orange peel (optional)

For the Green Marzipan:
200g ready-made green marzipan; or to make yourself:
300g of almond flour (fine ground almonds)
300g of sugar
75g of water
green food colouring

For Sugar Icing the Cassata:
about 350g of vanilla icing sugar with extra, as needed)
a few tablespoons of water (or lemon juice)

Royal icing to decorate:
75 g of vanilla icing sugar
2 drops of fresh lemon juice
10g of egg white

For the Decoration:
mixed candied fruit (candied oranges, candied citron, pumpkin, cherries)

Method:

Begin by preparing the sponge for the base: This is done the day before as it's easier to slice if allowed to rest for a day.

First of all, whip the eggs together with the sugar, the finely-grated lemon zest, salt and the vanilla, using an electric whisk or a stand mixer at maximum speed. This will yield a very light, frothy, very dense and compact mixture which quadruples in volume. This is the step that incorporates air into the sponge mixture so that it rises properly in the absence of any chemical leavening agents.

Sift over the flour and potato starch and carefully fold into the egg mixture with a cold metal spoon, being careful not to collapse the eggs. Mix slowly by hand from bottom to top with a metal spoon or spatula so as not to dismantle the mixture and obtain a frothy and aerated mixture.

Carefully turn the resultant dough into a buttered and floured springform cake tin. Transfer to the centre of an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for 35 minutes (do not open the door for at least the first 30 minutes). The cake is ready when a golden crust forms on the surface and a toothpick inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Carefully unmould the cake then set on a wire rack to cool completely.

If your sponge cake has a very high dome, don't worry, immediately turn it over as you do with omelettes onto a serving plate, let it cool in this position for 5–6 minutes, then turn it over again.

On day 1 you also need to drain the ricotta. Place in a clean cloth then squeeze it so that the excess milk runs out. Repeat this process 2-3 times, until the ricotta is completely dry. This is critical as, if the ricotta is not dry you run the risk of ruining your cassata.

Finally, when the ricotta is dry, place it in a bowl with the sugar and work it with a spoon. Then blend everything with a blender. This trick will allow you to obtain a smooth and velvety mixture in just a few seconds without sifting:

Now add the chocolate chips, mix and place in the fridge. Do not cover with cling film which causes condensation; if you need to cover use a paper plate.

If you haven't purchased it ready-made, make real green marzipan (almond paste) yourself: Place the water in a high-sided pan and bring to a simmer. Add the sugar and let it dissolve completely, stirring continuously until you see bubbles. Remove from the heat and add the green colouring followed by the almond flour and mix well. Pour the mixture onto a work surface and cool, kneading for 6 – 10 minutes, sprinkling with a little icing sugar if you see it sticking. The resultant marzipan must be smooth and velvety. Form into a ball, seal in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave to rest in the refrigerator (at least 3 hours, but best over night, before using it)

The following day, assemble the cassata. Carefully slice the sponge cake into 3 rounds. Use the first of these for the edges, the second for the base and the third for the top. Each pastry round must have a minimum thickness of 1 cm. (The leftover scraps can be used to make delicious Cake Pops.)

From the first sponge cake disc, cut strips 5–6 cm wide (or the same size as the sides of your cake tin. Now shape these into trapezia with a base of 6cm and a top of 3cm. Taking each one at a time, sit on the long edge and trim down to 2-3mm thick (it's much easier to trim the small pieces than the large disc).

Roll out the green marzipan to 5mm thick then cut into trapezoids the same size as you cut from the sponge cake. Now take a double layer of clingfilm (plastic wrap) and use to line the base and sides of your cassata cake tin. Now add alternating trapezoids of sponge and marzipan so the entire side of the cake tin is covered. Trip these as necessary to ensure there are no cracks or gaps.

Now take the second sponge disc and trim into a circle that is the same size as the base of the pan. Carefully use this to line the bottom of the cassata tin. Make a sugar syrup from 250ml (1 cup) water with 1 tsp sugar and when the sugar has dissolved (you may want to heat gently in your microwave) brush lightly over the edges of the sponge cake.

Now pour in the cold and compact ricotta cheese, chocolate chip and cream mixture. Leave a 1cm gap on the top. Take the final circle of sponge cake and trim so it fits perfectly to seal the top. (Remember that when inverted, this will form the base of your cassata). Cover everything with clingfilm and transfer to your refrigerator. Set aside to chill for at least 24 hours (but it will keep for up to 3 days.)

On the final day (day 3), choose a plate or cake stand to turn the cassata out onto. Carefully choose the candied fruit you want to use. Assemble the piping bag with a small nozzle ready for the icing decorations. Now, using the clingfilm to help you carefully turn the cassata out onto your chosen presentation dish.

Now make a glaze. Place half of the sugar in a bowl and start mixing with 1 teaspoon of water. You should get a soft icing that drips from the spoon. It should not too hard, but not excessively soft, add other drops of water to dissolve and reach the right consistency.

Now pour the sugar icing over the cassata, starting from the bottom and slide it up the sides, widening it with a knife. Clean the edges, collect the excess icing and place it in the bowl.

Place the cassata in the fridge and wait for the icing to solidify for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, stir the one you already have. Pour over the icing again and redistribute everything on the sides. Clean up again. Place the cassata in the fridge and leave it there for at least 2 hours.

After this time, prepare the other half of the icing. This time it must be much denser and must not drip excessively. pour half into the centre of the cassata so that a white disk forms. Place in the fridge and let solidify for at least 2 hours. You can leave the remaining icing at room temperature. A drop of water will be enough to return to the way it was before.

At this point make the remaining icing by mixing the leftover ingredients together. You will need to obtain a very dense, white and compact royal icing to create the decorations. Insert into the piping bag and create the lattice on the completely solid white disk.

Add a dot of icing on each end of the diamond. Place in the fridge to dry for at least 3 hours!

However, for the less experienced, you can skip this step of the lattice and add the candied fruit directly onto the white disc, forming the decoration you like and decorating with simple designs, polka dots and the candied fruit as desired

In the meantime, decorate the fruit with royal icing.

When the surface of the cassata is dry, with the help of a round-tipped knife, fill and glaze the side walls with the rest of the sugar icing. Don't worry if it drips on the edges, you will clean everything up later.

Place in the fridge to cool for approximately 3 hours.

When the cassata is completely dry, cut off the excess icing from the side edges of the plate. Clean up and decorate with candied fruit.

Slice into wedges and serve.